August 16, 2018 Job 13,14; Hebrews 10:8-18

“There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:42 (NLT) The heart of this ministry is to inspire a love for God’s Word and encourage the discipline of daily Bible reading and SOAP journaling. These are a few of our SOAP notes from today’s reading. We encourage you to read and journal on your own first, then join us in conversation about what God revealed to YOU today. Click HERE to go directly to the daily reading if you wish.

Hope | Chelsea Horne

S~ At least there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and it’s new shoots will not fail. It’s roots may grow old in the ground and it’s stump die in the soil, yet at the scent of water it will bud and put forth shoots like a plant. Job 14: 7-9 (NIV)

O~ Hope. That is what I feel and the first thing that comes to mind when reading this. Job is comparing the tree to how fallible man is. I struggle all of the time with needing to feel like I have it all together in order to feel like and accept my identity as a child of God. I struggle with the lie that when I sin, He turns away from me and leaves me to my own devices to “figure it out” on my own. But that is simply NOT true, and this verse is a sure reminder of that for me.

What my heart responds to in this verse is the phrase “yet at the scent of water,” all that it takes is a “scent” – an inkling- of life and the tree soaks it up and produces new growth! I think of Jesus as the Living Water in this. For a searching and hurting heart, we only need a scent of His Life and the hope of His Truth fills us up and encourages us to drink more. So, even when I feel dejected and abandoned because of my sin, Jesus always sends me a “scent” of His Love, a small gift to show me that He sees me and is still by my side.

It can be in the form of a song, a smile from a stranger, even the sun on my face! Something so small, but coming from such a big God it means so much more than my human heart can understand. For instance, yesterday it was a customer walking up to my counter and saying “How are you today, beautiful?” Those words went so much farther than sound waves in the air for me. I heard them from the Holy Spirit, Himself! He knew that I was feeling broken and battered from the challenges that the day had already given me, and it was only 11:00! I bet that she didn’t even know how much her words impacted me, but I pray that God blesses her and her family for her love and kindness.

A~ I will hope in His Strength and in His Love for me. Rest in the Truth that He has a Plan and that things will get better. Because hope is a powerful thing. We shift our focus from the problem to the Solution. I now understand why putting my hope in Jesus, alone, is so important! Nothing on this earth is ever sure, but He always is. So, I will work to put my hope in Him. To step out in faith and proclaim His Goodness and trust in His Sovereignty.

P~ Father, Thank You for blessing me with this verse in Job. It seems so funny to me when a simple verse that has no obvious message speaks so deeply to my heart. I know that You know that this is a constant struggle for me, and I hope to be better at it in the future. Please help me to keep this beautiful word in my head and in my heart today. But not just today, this week, this month, this year, however long that it takes for me to learn what You want to teach me.

Thank You for Your beautiful gifts that You bless me with to turn my heart back to You. I surely don’t deserve them, as I keep straying from You. But, You always come after me and You always come and find me. No matter how tangled I am, You patiently unwrap me from the brambles of my sin, heal my wounds, and we walk through life together again. Please help me to share the hope of Your Love and Grace with others, Lord. I don’t want to keep Your Goodness to myself, but I want to see others come to You so that they can experience Your Love, Peace, and Grace like I have.

I love You, Jesus. Thank You for coming for my heart and for blessing me with such a beautiful word to remind me of Your Love. Please help me to find my hope in You today, and forever.

In Jesus’ Name I pray,

Amen

You Are Perfect | Kimi Miller

S~ For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy. Hebrews 10:14 (NLT)

O~ But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. (v.12)

A~ I remember writing a letter to myself from God’s perspective. I’d started journaling in the morning and began with these four questions: 1) What good things do You have planned for me today? 2) Who are You putting on my heart today? 3) What do You want to tell me about me? 4) What do You want to tell me about You?
Starting my day with those four questions transformed my relationship with God. I wrote out each answer as if directly from God – led by Holy Spirit. I remember getting to question 3, and hearing Him say, “You are perfect.” And I paused, and I couldn’t write it down. That couldn’t be true because only Jesus was perfect. So, I didn’t write it down. It bothered me – one, because I was most certain I’d heard the Father say that to me, and two, why I couldn’t believe it – and I wrestled with it throughout my day and into my walk.

Then, when I got home, I pulled out my Bible and I came across Hebrews 10:14 in my daily reading: For by that ONE offering He forever MADE PERFECT those who are being made holy (emphasis mine). I read that and wept. He has made me perfect.

P~ Jesus, how can I ever repay You? Thank You for loving me enough to rescue me – to reach down and pull me up. To wipe the tears from my eyes and look upon me with love, whispering, “You are perfect. I made you that way.” Oh how I love You! Thank You.

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